SALT LAKE CITY-Friday, Utah state epidemiologist Dr. Angela C. Dunn was the sole speaker at the Friday briefing at the Utah State Capitol Building as Utah transitions to moderate risk under Gov. Gary Herbert’s Utah Leads Together Plan. This condition, represented by the color “orange,” is expected to last two weeks while state officials consider what course of action is to follow.
Friday’s COVID-19 statistics for Utah bode well for the Beehive State.
There are now 4,828 positive tests for COVID-19 in Utah. While this is an increase of 156 positive cases over the course of the past 24 hours, this also represents a -21 decrease from Thursday’s positive case totals.
Presently, 112,558 total tests have been administered for COVID-19 in Utah. This brings the overall positive test percentage to 4.29 percent, slightly down from Thursday’s 4.31 percent positive test percentage.
Of the 4,057 Utahns tested in the past 24 hours in Utah, 3.8 percent of Utahns tested positive for COVID-19 from Thursday-Friday.
There have been 403 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Utah. This is an increase of 13 from Thursday’s total.
However, for the third time in the past five days, Utah experienced no deaths from COVID-19.
Wasatch County presently has 155 cases of COVID-19. This is an increase of 7 cases from Thursday’s totals. There are still only 7 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Wasatch County and the one death that occurred April 10.
Dunn said that as the state transitions into moderate risk mode, it is still important to protect high-risk populations.
She further revealed the deployment of Utah’s first COVID-19 strike team. Dunn confirmed they will be at a Utah County facility caring for those with intellectual disabilities.
Dunn also said the state is anticipating a second surge of COVID-19 during the upcoming flu season this autumn.
Dunn stated that modeling provides insight but confessed none of them are perfect, especially with a “novel” pandemic as COVID-19 has proven to be.
Dunn said the biggest question Utah will have to answer is how social distancing can be maintained moving forward when the purported second wave of COVID-19 comes in.
To conclude her remarks, Dunn said she expects the virus to be a priority and on the top of everyone’s mind until a vaccine exists.
It will remain to be seen how Utah Coronavirus Task Force briefings will be conducted moving forward.
There will only be three per week, as opposed to the usual five, for the foreseeable future.
